"The Fighter" and "Inception" were great. "The Kids Are All Right" was funny and poignant. "The King's Speech" was... well, I'll get into that later.

My Pick - "Inception". This multi-layered Borges meets the Matrix head-spinner was complex, thought-provoking and yet personal at the same time.

Oscar's Pick - “The King's Speech”. Ok - here's the deal. This was a good film. There was nothing wrong with it. It is a simple story told well. But it's just so damned safe. It takes absolutely no chances. It is basically an ABC afterschool special: dude has stuttering problem... dude overcomes stuttering problem, except the dude just happens to be the future King of England.

When you compare this to really great movies, this one story arc would just be a subplot, woven into a bigger, more compelling whole. Really folks, get over it. Does this movie come even close to "The Godfather", "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Amadeus", or "Silence of the Lambs"?

This is a very strong category this year. "Gasland" is a compelling personal journey through the toxic wasteland of Natural Gas Drilling. "Restrepo" does a tremendous job showing the viewer what life is truly like for U.S. soldiers serving duty in Afghanistan's Korangal Valley. And "Inside Job" explores the nausea-inducing reality of the wall-street players who continue to hold the White House hostage.

For me however, "Exit Through the Gift Shop" stood out for its unique journey that explored the concepts of art, fame, and media manipulation. And I'm still not even sure it was a documentary...

My Pick - "Exit Through the Gift Shop"
Oscar's Pick - This is a toss-up here. I'll guess they give it to "Inside Job" to send a message to the controlling interests that rule Wall Street, the Republican Party, the Top 1% high-income earners, the Tea Party... not to get on a political rant or anything here...

This one's tough because I've only seen "Social Network" and "King's Speech" and to be honest, I wasn't blown away by either performance.In all fairness I really shouldn't make a pick in this category, butwho said this was fair anyway? I'm going to give it to Javier Bardem because I've heard great things about the movie and the guy is a total acting stud- so there.

My Pick - Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
Oscar's Pick - Colin Firth in “The King's Speech” The Academy loves them some feel-good movie and especially any acting gymnastics. A king who overcomes a speech impediment is an easy, safe pick.

An easy pick for me. It comes down to Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lawrence. They both carry their films - the entire narrative rests on their shoulders. Both bring extraordinary performances. For me however, Jennifer Lawrence was a revelation. She created such an authentic, understated yet dynamic and powerful performance as a sixteen-year old desperately trying to hold her family together, that I think she deserves it the most.

My Pick - Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”
Oscar's Pick - Natalie Portman in “Black Swan” Portman's performance as a ballerina at the tipping point of madness is a tour-de-force, and she deserves all the accolades she has received.She is the obvious choice and will most likely win.

Ok - down to the nitty gritty here. I love Fincher and the Cohen Brothers, but don't think their work was Oscar-level this year. Tom Hooper makes nice ABC after-school specials... er, I mean movies (actually, I liked "The Damned United" much more than "King's Speech"), but c'mon.. let's get real here.

That leaves Aronofsky's "Black Swan" and David O. Russell's, "The Fighter" (and I would also add, Debra Granik for "Winter's Bone".) Aronofsky showed true film mastery with absolute control of his psychological thriller. All elements of the film were fully realized to support the central theme. Russell showed a lighter touch, though no less effective, letting his actors control the scenes and weave a heart-heavy tale of redemption, balancing humor and pathos and never regressing to melodrama.
Debra Granik, like Russell, chose a verite approach to weave her neo-noir tale - perfectly nailing the appropriate tone for such a story.

My Pick - “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky. I'm torn here, but give Aronofsky the slight nod over Russell and Granik. Great jobs by all.
Oscar's Pick - “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky. I think this one is a slam dunk for Aronofsky. He is one of cinema's shining lights.

And now... Drumroll please... Time to get the kids to bed and drain the last of the drinks, 'cuz the show's almost over. Just one last Oscar to give out...

Dang... that's a long list! But I'll make this short, because by now, you pretty much know my take on these films.

It's a close call, and I love them both, but I have to give "Winter's Bone" the slight edge over "The Fighter", simply because of its more original story. If "Black Swan" had walked the line a little more convincingly between horror and psychological thriller (ala "Rosemary's Baby""Jacob's Ladder", "Angel Heart") then that would have been my choice.

Watch Enter the Dark

Projects:

…a frightening little slice of haunted house cinema that easily stands on its own for a good old fashioned scare.- Rogue Cinema

...works like a good horror tale should, suckering us in with one hand while it's preparing to pop up and scare us with the other. There's a command here that can't be taught, and Miro shows a natural gift for creating tension- From Midnight, With Love

… wonderfully shot and acted and the twist ending was masterfully pulled off by filmmaker Todd Miro.- Planet of Terror

Official Selection of:Chicago Horror Film FestThriller!Chiller Film FestSacramento Horror Film FestDark Carnival Film FestDam Shorts Film FestivalLove Your Shorts Film FestivalAction on Film Intl Film FestivalBare Bones Film FestivalFamous Monsters of Filmland Imagi-MoviesSeattle True Independent Film FestivalIndie Spirit Film FestivalAnother Hole in the HeadDragon*Con Film FestivalFear Fete Horror Film Festival

Winner - Best Horror ShortBare Bones Film FestivalWinner - Best Short ThrillerIndie Spirit Film Festival

I wore many hats on this project including producer, editor, motion graphics designer, colorist, re-recording sound mixer, sound designer and post-production supervisor.Buy the DVD now!"Sam Cooke: Crossing Over"a broadcast documentary forPBS's prestigious AMERICAN MASTERS series. I provided motion graphics, including the main title sequence, and also did additional editing."Global Focus"narrated by Robert Redford, this 30-minute documentary series features intimate portraits of six passionate and dedicated activists from around the world. I edited two of the six stories, along with providing all graphics and sound mixing for this documentary, which airs on PBS and has won two Northern California Emmy Awards.

The Abyss Recommends:

The most amazing camera for under $2000. True 35mm depth of field - 24fps - 1080p. Now go make a movie!

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Big deal... get one of these.

Anyone even thinking about calling themselves a writer, director, editor, even a producer should own this book - and consult it often. As an editor it is invaluable as a resource for spotlighting the importance of story in a film industry that is too often allured by spectacle.